Sealing strips of soft and flexible foam material are used generally in the construction industry to provide a seal against drafts and driving rain. In the field of professional building construction, these sealing strips are installed, for example, between the frames of windows and doors, and a masonry wail. The sealing strips can be up to several centimeters thick and are usually provided on one side with a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive, by means of which they can be attached to the frame profile elements of windows and doors. Sealing strips of this type are often impregnated with a material which delays the recovery of the foam material from the partially compressed state in which it is delivered on rolls back to the relaxed state. The purpose of such treatment is to facilitate the installation of the structural element provided with the sealing strip at the construction site.
To prevent the diffusion of vapor, it is necessary to use sealing strips of the previously mentioned type which have been provided with a vapor harrier. A sealing strip of open-pored material, which has been rolled up into a disk and which is used to seal joints or gaps against drafts and driving rain, is known from DE 196 41 415 C2. At least one barrier layer is arranged inside the sealing strip in such a configuration that it and the adjacent open-pored areas form a row in the axial direction. The barrier layer therefore extends in the radial direction of the sealing strip roll. It is a relatively complicated manner to produce sealing strips of this type, and a high degree of dimensional accuracy of the foam material is required during processing.
Publication DE 24 57 322 A1 discloses a process for providing plastic object formed of open-pore foam with a sprayed polyurethane coating on their outside surfaces. Such processing serves to prolong the life of children's toys and other foam objects because it avoids open exterior areas of the open-pore foam. The process requires that the foam be prepared in a special manner before the coating is applied. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide economical sealing strip foam rolls with improved sealing properties and longevity.